In the bleak midwinter, frosty Crepes may moan

[Collymollypuff]

Earth stood hard as iron, my heart like a stone.

I suspect you are right, Mrs W. I don't want a repeat of last year. Well actually I do.

Did someone mention office party?? Just back from mine...too pissed to go to bed, so thoguht Id faff about on MN for a while.

DD2 ill, and a sweaty mess when I got back - I don't think she'll be at school tomorrow. I'm hopig DH is getting up for the schoolrun because I WON'T BE.

Aah, it was fun. Planned by me, of course.

I am so glad my team is too small to have an office party....went to VCs festive drink (distinctly meagre on both drink and food) then repaired to bar with friends. I'm now on way in to work

Cocoa - well done on yesterday and hope you had a peaceful night (and that the restorative fish fingers were good).

Monty - hope you are OK.

MI - surely if the hospital says its pneumonia, it's just that regardless of your DDad's self diagnosis.

Luckily we don't seem to have office parties here so I went to my do and DH went to his - meals in nice restaurants and we arrived back within 5 minutes of each other both relatively coherent.

Have discovered live jazz on Thursday nights in our local which was very nice - why haven't I done this before?

Off to shower now as second attempt at getting the boiler serviced today, thus awaiting the plumber once again!

Will eagerly await report of Mrs S's office party and whether felt antlers were donned or not.

Can't say I miss office parties, although ours were a bit more 'lovely lunch in posh place', rather than 'bra swinging behind the filing cabinet'. The after party pub and nightclub afternoon always had more spice, but I always had to get home....

Last day of term for ds - hooray. Both girls at home - hooray. Must get more stocking presents

Well done for getting through Cocoa...and coping wth a lousy cold too. I hope the fish fingers were comforting (I would have had them with chips and baked beans...).

Monty are you ok?

MI good to have made a decision about DDad....you cannot be there at the moment. You are going on Xmas Day.

Crem I can't believe how many shows you're dealing with

Feeling more than a little bit of the office parties and Xmas work do's. It's like looking at everyone having fun through a kind of glass wall. MrsS we are waiting for a report back...

Where is Auriga?

Last class taught last night until January...and invoiced for. I am hoping that I have just got in, in time for the pre Xmas BACS run. Private client today and next Tuesday....writing and hopefully finishing the final script redraft this afternoon with ConS. And that will be it until January.

In very trivial cords news....at bloody last...the Lands End burgundy slim cord jeans are fab. I will remember that I just have to size up in their bottoms and size down in their tops. Another 30% off code has just found it's way into my inbox and I'm tempted to order another colour....

Glad to hear things went well yesterday, Cocoa. I hope you had a good, refreshing sleep (big fan of fishfingers here; I like them in a white bread roll with plenty of butter!).

MI, your plans sound ok to me. By the way, I have heard of people wandering around with pneumonia so DDad might not have known how ill he was, but to now deny that's what he has got is ridiculous.

BTM, BD and Rudy: how are your boys doing? And great to hear about your DS's university offers, Lalsy.

Enjoy your office party, MrsS. I have had three Christmas meals this week: 1. Our favourite Italian, 2. The Botanist yesterday where I had a hanging turkey skewer, and 3. We took DGC into Newcastle the other night to see the lights and Fenwick's window and ended up in McD's in Northumberland Street - big mistake and we have vowed never to go there again.

DH is going out cycling with his mates today and I am preparing everything for tomorrow: we have to leave here no later than 6.15 am and I need to be showered, hair washed etc by then. Really all I need to do is get my gels removed, which is booked in for this afternoon.

"...an echoing church , candle light and softly sung carols"... that's where I was last night, Crem. The incomparable Jeffrey Skidmore with Ex Cathedra. Always the best.

Can't keep up but wanted to say I was thinking of you yesterday, Cocoa & am glad it worked out as well as it did. Like BD, I found it tough afterwards, though, when everyone dispersed.

I planned a busy Christmas as a way of coping when I felt dreadful. Now, feeling worse, I'm struggling to get through it but last night's concert helped.

Big Talk (Christmas lecture) yesterday was last work-related hurdle. Term ends today but DD has two concerts this w/e and DH has one, then we go away on Monday.

BTM, hope DS's health will improve & take some of the stress off the family. I don't know the nature of the problem but I'm familiar with long-term sickening anxiety about someone, thanks to DH and DSis2. I can only imagine how much worse it would be with DD.

Rudy, hope your DS is keeping well.

DD pressed the UCAS button last week and has two offers so far. She's so tired her school report says she needs to sleep in the holidays.

All the best for your concerts MI. And Rose, thanks for the reminder about the solstice. Longer days coming soon.

Hello Auriga - big {{}}

I just spoke to Bonkers Father, who says firmly that (a) the docs have decided it wasn't pneumonia, but a respiratory infection (so that's OK then, is it? What with your lungs being 82?) (b) he feels "normal" (words fail me...)

Finally pinned down the Difficult Interviewee at 8am this morning. She gave me precisely 300 words' worth - I need to write about 1,000 for this feature - and didn't give me enough precise detail, but she'll do as a side-bar in the main piece.

'Normal'? That's a first isn't it MI?!? ;)

Good to 'see' you Auriga.

Mrs S - maybe 'wearing felt antlers' can enter the crepey lexicon as a euphemism for 'unwise shenanigans'.

Off to meet Colly later for merchandise exchange. Have been feeling rough, with headache, nausea, and general bleugh. Don't know if it's sinuses, hormones or a 'wheat hangover', which is apparently a thing. I had been v good holding off the wheat, then had a binge on student biscuits on Wednesday.

I miss Christmas parties too. There are a few 'freelancers get togethers' round here, but it's not the same. There wouldn't be any long-pent-up releases of bitchiness, or the next morning post-mortem, which is the best bit.

Thank you all - Hello Auriga!

Three Cheers for the UCAS offers coming in. Its always a comfort to know that someone wants your DC

Had Fish Fingers with oven chips and peas (and mayo), but then discovered I wasn't really that hungry after all.

Fell into bed and woke at 1.15 - never really got back to sleep properly. In fact, gave up and came downstairs for a decaff tea for a couple of hours in the middle. I think my brain just had too much to process...

Cold is just not shifting. I wonder why?

Just eating my second GF mince pie of the day. Its not going too well is it?

MI, at least your df sounds in a positive frame of mind!

Cocoa, best wishes for your NZ trip.

NU, hope all goes smoothly with your op.

I'm afraid I have made a boo-boo with my secret santa, which is possibly going to be late, depending on how Evil Amazon get their act together. I did order it some time ago, but I still haven't had a dispatch notification and had to send them a crabby message yesterday. Sorry

Me too with the headache and nausea, Herbs.

Doing my online Prevent training. Do I win the 'pointless and tedious task' award?

I have yet to receive my SS. Do I blame you, Stropps?? [stern look]

I have mucked up my SS.

I failed to check the response from my recipient, which means she'll be getting something she probably can't use. I hope she re-gifts it, because she has something else coming her way instead... (But it may be in the New Year - sorry)

Herbs, I have to do online Information Governance refresher training, so I think I win the pointless tedium Top Trumps. But have worked out that if you do the test first you can circumvent the actual training.

Failed the test! Goddammit. Retaking it can be a treat for this evening.

I have a shedload of online training to wade through. I save it up for the late afternoon "can't be bothered starting anything now" slot, and zone out with my headphones on.

Cocoa - look after yourself. Eat the mince pies and sit on the sofa. Good to hear that the funeral went OK.

By the way, my office party wasn't actually IN the office - do people still do that whole dancing round the photocopier with Jeff from Accounts thing?? It was in a small pub which they closed for the evening just for us. Food and atmosphere were excellent, then they chucked us out across the road to their sister pub which had a late licence. I took my first ever Ubers there and back - fab, cheap and unbelieveably quick to turn up - seeing as I live in a small village very far from the big smoke I was pleasantly surprised.

Odd day today - DH and I not at work (me hungover, him not). DD1 is at school and needs to be brought home at 12pm. DS is at home and needs taking to school at 12pm, and DD2 is sweating and coughing in bed. I'm contemplating a binge-watch of missed episodes of The Apprentice.

Have done Christmas cards - I feel I deserve a gold star or something. Now I just have to go to the Post Office and not leave them sitting on the side for three days.

About to pack the Young Master's train set into the sleigh Skoda, for onward journey by underground...

Yaay re cords, Rose.

Crem, sounds like a nightmare - have you got something nice lined up for Jan?

Auriga, hello, sorry things are tough but vv good on dd and carols.

Pointless tedium tasks - vacuuming dd's room before she comes back and trashes it? Can I also say that until you have done asbestos online training takes the biscuit as being so far beyond tedious you don't remember a single thing afterwards.

NU, very best wishes for tomorrow. And Cocoa, I hope you can do not much apart from eat mince pies today. When are you off? Do not worry a toot about SS.

Speaking of which, mine has come! AIBU to consider opening it at the weekend, when we have our second fake family Christmas, as I probably can't take it away with me and may have no internet access when there?

Still not done a single card. I can't find any that are not revoltingly festive and cheerful.

MrsS, we are watching you......

I'm quite looking forward to attending Mrs S's party vicariously through drunken updates not that I'm encouraging her, no, not at all

My Secret Santa has arrived, unwrapped, and hung with pride on my Christmas tree....

SS parcelled up and sent...phew. Had to put a rocket up someone's arse at the online gifts place where I ordered it. Relief.

Off to write. Have bought ConS artisan coffee beans for his Xmas present. I wanted to get the beard oil... (he's grown a Cat Weasel-esque one for current role) but felt it was too...y'know, familiar....

Rest Cocoa....rest...

Laters Crepeys.....